The August term of Circuit Court in the First Judicial District of Jones County ended on an unusual note Wednesday morning when the lawyer for a man accused of trafficking drugs did not show up for the trial, which was scheduled to begin 9:00 a.m.
Judge Dal Williamson waited for a few extra minutes and then walked to the bench about 9:10 a.m. and asked, “Is Timothy Roberts here today?” Roberts was the defendant. There was no answer, so the judge asked a bailiff to step outside the courtroom and call for Roberts. There was still no response.
As Judge Williamson was noting for the record that Roberts had been called and had not responded and that his lawyer, Dow Yoder, had not appeared for the trial, Roberts walked into the courtroom. He told the judge that his late entrance was because he thought his trial would be held at the Laurel Courthouse, so he had traveled there first. The judge asked him if he had heard from his attorney the morning of the scheduled trial. Roberts said he had not.
Roberts has been charged with the alleged trafficking of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). His arraignment was held back in June, and the trial was set for Tuesday, August 6 – another trial bumped Robert’s appearance before a jury to Wednesday, August 7. The defendant and his attorney were notified that their trial would begin immediately after the other one concluded.
According to the judge, Yoder did not contact the Court to explain his absence. The judge even stated that answering machines had been checked to be sure there was no contact from the missing lawyer.
“I’m going to file an action against your attorney for contempt of court,” Judge Williamson told Roberts.
The judge then reset the trial for September, before telling the pool of jurors that “this is a problem that is very rare, and I will take care of it.”
The Roberts trial was the last one scheduled for this term in the First Judicial District, so Judge Williamson thanked the jurors for their time and dismissed them from their duty.